The Earth is made up of different layers: Therefore, instead of tectonic plates moving because of the convection currents, evidence suggests it is the plates that drive the convection. Slab pull ...

These continents are still on the move today. Exactly what drives plate tectonics is not known. One theory is that convection within the Earth's mantle pushes the plates, in much the same way that ...

The plates make up Earth's outer shell, called the lithosphere. (This includes the crust and uppermost part of the mantle.) Churning currents ... tectonic boundaries: convergent, where plates move ...

Tectonic plates are able to move because the Earth's lithosphere has greater strength than the underlying asthenosphere. Lateral density variations in the mantle result in convection. Plate ...

One explanation for plate movements is slab pull. Plates are extremely heavy so gravity acts upon them, pulling them apart. Alternatively, as shown in the diagram, convection currents under the ...

An unexpected find in tiny crystals hints that the Earth's mantle may not quite behave as has been believed for nearly a ...

This advanced undergraduate textbook provides a thoroughly modern overview of plate tectonics and is the perfect resource for a capstone geology course. It presents plate tectonics as a multifaceted, ...

Plate tectonics is a theory that explains how Earth’s lithosphere—its upper mantle and crust—is split into sections called plates, which move. These movements create mountains, volcanoes and ...

The mid-ocean ridges mark the lines along which the Earth is turning itself inside out through the process of plate tectonics. Advances in technology are helping to reveal the intricate details of ...